Flowers for Algernon: Student Edition

This book is definitely one of a kind - I've never read a story like this. It's somewhat sad, so it's not a light book to read, but it is worth a read.

This novel challenges many issues and ideas in the world in extremely engaging ways, and emphasized all the more because this is a fictional novel and not a journal article. Charlie's difficult journey is not set on a plane of understanding that we can not ever achieve despite its science fictional parameters; it is so human, it aches.

Do not be thrown by its diary-like entries in the beginning - it only reflects Charlie's progress all the more as he ventures deeper into what it means not only to be human, but what it takes to become a person, and in whose eyes and the illogical reasons why. My mind was blown away.

I remember watching the movie based on this book when I was a child and I was fascinated by the movie and have often thought about it. My daughter read the book and told me I should read it and of course I remembered the movie and so I definitely wanted to read the book.

The book is intriguing; to think of the possibility to give a mentally challenged person a genius' IQ...wow the implications and the effects on the psyche are unfathomable. This book explores these ideas and it does a good job.

Charlie Gordon is born mentally challenged and his mother does not accept the fact and is constantly trying to fix his problem and is cruel to him and eventually sends him off to a home, so she can "protect" his little sister from him.

Charlie works in a bakery and goes to a school to learn how to read and write and is picked for the scientific study of increasing IQ through an operation. The operation succeeds and Charlie is propelled into a world of intelligence, but there is a flaw in the science and Charlie and his intellect figure it out.

It is a thought provoking book and it makes us look at how we treat people based on their intelligence. I found it hard to like Charlie when he was mentally challenged and when he was a genius, that is the one weakness in the book is the lack of connection with the main character or any character...there just seems to be a distance from the reader. With a bit more emotion this book would have been outstanding.

Charlie is sweet, likable, hardworking and he has a desire to learn more and become smart - he also happens to have an IQ of 70. Charlie is given the chance to be a part of a highly experimental research study, which, if successful, would drastically increase his intelligence.

The study is successful and Charlie finds himself learning at an astounding rate, and as he increases his academic knowledge he must also face emotional challenges as he comes to understand how he has been viewed by those around him throughout his life. Charlie's treatment at the hands of his "friends" is heartbreaking.
Flowers for Algernon looks at what really constitutes happiness and what really makes someone "human".

I can see why this would be a popular choice for required school reading, but it really is a worthwhile read for any readers adult or teen (I was actually surprised that it was classified as teen on the site).

I absolutely adored this book. The story is thought-provoking and captivating, the characters are both reasonably familiar and alien enough to warrant investigation, the plot is thick, and the writing beautifully conveys the emotion of the character. Absoultely a must-read for anyone interested in psychology, or anyone with an interest in science fiction. Just a wonderful book in its entirety.

This book was just okay. The plot was different then anything I have read which was good. But the language didn't move or thrill me. Overall it wasn't bad.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, the story of a mentally handicapped man named Charlie who undergoes a surgery that increases his mental capacity immensely but has unforeseen results, is a brilliant and tragic novel. I fell in love with the protagonist from the first page for his simple, good nature and childlike innocence. The metamorphosis that Charlie takes from being low IQ to being a genius is remarkably described. Keyes clearly put a lot of thought into exactly what such a transition would be like because it's such a real and powerful journey for the reader. His exploration of intelligence and isolation is haunting.

This book offered many surprises for me in relation to my reactions to the changes occurring within Charlie. I liked Charlie and his personality at the beginning of the novel, but as he progressed intellectually, I started disliking him for his selfish behaviour and arrogant attitude. Throughout it all, I pitied him, but I pitied him the most at his intellectual peak, not at his lowest point. I think that says a lot. That reaction leads me to wonder how much I would change if my intelligence was suddenly increased and if I would be better off. Flowers for Algernon is a novel that will provoke all sorts of thoughts and self-reflections.

The ending choked me up. It's easy to get surprisingly attached to Charlie and suffer with him while he suffers and grieves. I don't think this novel could have been written better. It was perfect to me with its sadness and loss. Flowers for Algernon holds a lot of insight about intelligence, happiness, love, loneliness, and friendship. I would recommend this book to everyone!

"Flowers for Algernon" is an all-time classic that I love.

Charlie, a mentally disabled man, was given a chance to have his intelligence experimentally enhanced as Algernon, a lab mouse which had gone through the same procedure. The super-IQ Charlie experienced major changes in the way he lives his life. All went reasonably well until Algernon started to deteriorate unexpectedly. Charlie knew then that the same thing would happen to him and invest all his energy in the quest to preserve his IQ. One of the last scene of Charlie praying for his language ability touches me deeply. I then realize how lucky we are even to have the simple blessing of being able to read and write.

This book was extremely enticing--surprisingly so, especially because of the unusual premise. It's amazing the way Charlie picked up the spelling and grammar after only one progress report in his journal, and you felt as if you were there, amazed by his sudden recovery. He seemed like the kind of person that you would want to meet, who, though lacking the usual knowledge and experience, was a genuinely nice person. I can't imagine doing the things to him that the men at the bakery did; I felt like crying at some parts in the book, especially the end when he asks if someone can put flowers on Algernon's grave. This is an amazing book, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who can read.

This book was extremely enticing--surprisingly so, especially because of the unusual premise. It's amazing the way Charlie picked up the spelling and grammar after only one progress report in his journal, and you felt as if you were there, amazed by his sudden recovery. He seemed like the kind of person that you would want to meet, who, though lacking the usual knowledge and experience, was a genuinely nice person. I can't imagine doing the things to him that the men at the bakery did; I felt like crying at some parts in the book, especially the end when he asks if someone can put flowers on Algernon's grave. This is an amazing book, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who can read.

I wasn't expecting the story to be from Charlie (the handicapped man)'s point of view. It made the story much more poignant and heart-wrenching. You feel sorry for Charlie as he slowly learns, as he becomes more intelligent, that the world is not the nice place he always believed it was.

Daniel Keyes is an amazing author that has a unique gift. He allows the reader to be so included into the novel they too feel its themselves they are battling with. I absolutly recommend this book to anyone that has a heart, it will warm and touch the soul.